Tobii’s C12 Windows Tablet features eye-controlled interface

PublishedAugust 18, 2012

Tobii Technology, a Swedish developer of eye-tracking technology, won FCC approval for the C12 tablet PC, pictured above, today. While the device looks like a rather boring enterprise tablet, it hides a revolutionary eye-controlled interface that allows users to interact with the device virtually hands free.

Users can control the C12’s pointer by simply moving their eyes and clicks are performed by blinking. Tobii’s Eye Control technology also features a calibration screen, below, that allows multiple users to calibrate their eye movements for the C12. It’s pretty cool stuff indeed that is particularly able to disabled users that are unable to use a mouse.

No word yet on pricing or availability.

Update: We received a note from Tobii’s PR rep offering a few clarifications to the article above. The C12 was actually released in 2009 – the device just recently showed up on the FCC due to an enhancement made to its GSM module. And although the C12 looks like a tablet computer, it is actually a Windows-based speech generation device designed for users with disabilities.

Eye tracking is an optional interface for the C12. This technology was originally developed by Tobii back in 2001 and it’s pretty amazing how this stuff works. According to Tobii’s website, the company’s eye tracking technology uses image sensors to detect the exact position of a user’s pupil and/or iris and algorithms are used to detect where a user is looking. Check out more about this technology here.